Vacuum canister assembly

ABSTRACT

A vacuum canister device includes a container, a cover for engaging onto the container, a casing having a lower and an upper peripheral panels, a partition disposed between the lower and the upper peripheral panels, a gasket, a housing having a lower peripheral flap engaged into the casing. A plug is slidably engaged in the housing and attached to the gasket. A barrel is engaged onto the housing, and a piston rod is slidably engaged into the barrel and includes a piston for drawing air and for vacuuming the container when the piston rod is moved out of the barrel. A cap may be selectively engaged onto the container, and may also be vacuumed by the cover and the barrel and the piston rod.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a vacuum canister, and more particularly to a vacuum canister assembly having a solid sealing structure for improving or facilitating vacuuming effect or action of the vacuum canister assembly.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Various kinds of typical vacuum canisters have been developed and comprise a piston tube slidably engaged in a sleeve pipe, and a head disposed in an interval formed by an anchor plate and a grating plate.

For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,564,581 to Lin discloses one of the typical vacuum canisters comprising a cover having such a piston tube slidably and laterally engaged in a sleeve pipe of the cover, and having a head disposed in an interval formed by an anchor plate and a grating plate, in order to form a check valve, and for allowing the piston tube to pump and to vacuum the container.

However, the pumping structure of the typical vacuum canisters comprising a rough structure that may not be used to effectively vacuum the canisters. In addition, the cover includes a structure that fits a particular container, and the cover may not be attached onto the other containers for vacuuming the other containers.

The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages of the conventional vacuum canisters.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a vacuum canister assembly including a solid and effective sealing structure for improving or facilitating vacuuming effect or action of the vacuum canister assembly.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a vacuum canister assembly comprising a container, a cover including a pad attached to bottom thereof, for engaging onto the container, the cover including a peripheral wall, a bottom wall attached to the peripheral wall, a peripheral fence extended from the bottom wall to form an annular channel between the peripheral wall and the peripheral fence, and at least one aperture formed in the bottom wall, a casing including a lower peripheral panel extended downwardly therefrom, an upper peripheral panel extended downwardly therefrom, a partition disposed between the lower and the upper peripheral panels and having a center hole and at least one orifice formed therein, the lower peripheral panel being engaged into the annular channel of the cover, a gasket including an extension extended downwardly therefrom and slidably engaged through the center hole of the casing, and a bore formed therein, a housing including a lower peripheral flap extended downwardly therefrom for engaging into the casing and for engaging with the upper peripheral panel of the casing, and including a chamber formed in the lower peripheral flap thereof and defined by a lower board, the lower board including a center hole and at least one perforation formed therein, a plug including a plug body slidably engaged in the chamber of the housing, and having a peg extended downwardly therefrom and engaged into the bore of the gasket and attached to the gasket, to allow the gasket and the peg of the plug to be moved in concert with each other, a barrel including a lower portion engaged onto the housing, and a piston rod slidably engaged into the barrel and including a piston attached to bottom, for drawing air when the piston rod is moved along the barrel in a reciprocating action. When the piston rod is moved into the barrel, the plug and the gasket may be movable relative to the housing and the casing to force the gasket to engage onto the partition of the casing, and to block the center hole and the orifice of the casing, and to block the aperture of the bottom wall of the cover, and to prevent air from being pumped into the container via the cover, and when the piston rod is pulled outwardly relative to the barrel, the plug and the gasket may be drawn and moved relative to the housing and the casing, to disengage the gasket from the partition of the casing, to open the center hole and the orifice of the casing, and also to open the aperture of the bottom wall of the cover, to allow air to be pumped from the container out through the cover.

A cap may further be provided for engaging onto the container, and the cover being engageable onto the cap for vacuuming the cap. The plug may include at least one latch extended from the peg thereof, to engage with the gasket, and to secure the gasket to the peg of the plug.

A sleeve may further be provided and may include an outer peripheral plate extended downwardly from an upper plate for engaging onto the container, and an inner peripheral plate extended downwardly from the upper plate, to define a bore therein and to engage into the container, and the cover includes a cylindrical member extended downwardly therefrom and engaged into the bore of the sleeve.

The sleeve includes at least one peripheral rib extended upwardly from the upper plate, the bottom wall of the cover includes at least one peripheral slot formed therein to receive the peripheral rib of the sleeve.

Further objectives and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a careful reading of the detailed description provided hereinbelow, with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vacuum canister assembly in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the vacuum canister assembly;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial exploded view of the vacuum canister assembly;

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of the vacuum canister assembly, taken along lines 4-4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged partial cross sectional view of the vacuum canister assembly;

FIGS. 6, 7 are cross sectional views similar to FIG. 4, illustrating the operation of the vacuum canister assembly;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged partial cross sectional view similar to FIG. 5, illustrating the operation of the vacuum canister assembly;

FIG. 9 is a cross sectional view illustrating a vacuum canister assembly in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a cross sectional view similar to FIGS. 4, 6, and 7, illustrating the operation of the vacuum canister assembly for vacuuming a cap;

FIG. 11 is an exploded view similar to FIG. 2, illustrating the other arrangement of the vacuum canister assembly;

FIG. 12 is an enlarged partial exploded view of the vacuum canister assembly as shown in FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the vacuum canister assembly as shown in FIGS. 11, 12;

FIG. 14 is a cross sectional view of the vacuum canister assembly as shown in FIGS. 11-13, taken along lines 14-14 of FIG. 13;

FIGS. 15, 16 are partial cross sectional views similar to FIG. 14, illustrating the operation of the vacuum canister assembly as shown in FIGS. 11-14; and

FIGS. 17, 18 are enlarged partial cross sectional views of the vacuum canister assembly as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16 respectively.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the drawings, and initially to FIGS. 1-5, a vacuum canister assembly 1 in accordance with the present invention comprises a container 10 for containing or storing objects 90, such as food, fruits (FIGS. 6, 7, 9), beverage (FIGS. 15, 16), or the like, and may further comprise a cap 11 (FIGS. 9, 10) for engaging onto the container 10 (FIG. 9), or for containing or storing various objects (FIG. 10).

The vacuum canister assembly 1 further includes a cover 12 having a planar or annular pad 13 attached to bottom thereof, for engaging onto the container 10 (FIGS. 4, 6, 7), or for engaging onto the cap 11 (FIG. 10), or various kinds of containers (FIGS. 15, 16), and for making an air tight seal between the container 10 or the cap 11 or other containers.

As shown in FIGS. 3-5, the cover 12 includes a peripheral wall 14 extended downwardly therefrom, a bottom wall 15 formed or attached to bottom of the peripheral wall 14, one or more peripheral fences 16, 17 extended upwardly from the bottom wall 15, to form or define one or more annular channels 18 therebetween, and one or more apertures 19, 20 formed in the bottom wall 15.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 5, a casing 23 includes a lower peripheral panel 24 extended downwardly therefrom, an upper peripheral panel 25 extended downwardly therefrom, a partition 26 disposed between the lower and the upper peripheral panels 24, 25 and having a center hole 27, and one or more orifices 28 formed therein and offset from the center hole 27 thereof.

The lower peripheral panel 24 may be engaged into one of the annular channels 18 of the cover 12, and engaged with or contacted with or force-fitted onto one of the peripheral fences 17 of the cover 12. A gasket 30 includes an extension 31 extended downwardly therefrom and slidably engaged through the center hole 27 of the casing 23, and a bore 32 formed in the extension 31 of the gasket 30 and opened upwardly.

A housing 40 includes a lower peripheral flap 41 extended downwardly therefrom for engaging into the casing 23 and for engaging with the upper peripheral panel 25 of the casing 23, and includes a chamber 42 formed in the lower peripheral flap 41 thereof and defined by a lower board 43 which includes a center hole 44 and one or more perforations 45 formed therein and offset from the center hole 44 thereof.

A plug 50 includes a plug body 51 slidably engaged in the chamber 42 of the housing 40, and having a peg 52 extended downwardly therefrom and engaged into the bore 32 of the gasket 30, and preferably having one or more latches 53 extended from the peg 52 thereof, to engage with the gasket 30, and to secure or lock the gasket 30 to the peg 52 of the plug 50, and to allow the gasket 30 and the peg 52 of the plug 50 to be moved in concert with each other.

A barrel 60 may include a lower portion 61 engaged onto the housing 40, and a piston rod 62 may be slidably engaged into the barrel 60 and having a piston 63 attached to the bottom thereof, for pumping air when the piston rod 62 is moved along the barrel 60 in a reciprocating action.

In operation, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, when the piston rod 62 is moved or forced into the barrel 60, the air in the barrel 60 may be pressurized and may force or move the plug 50 and the gasket 30 relative to the housing 40 and the casing 23, and may thus force the gasket 30 to engage onto the partition 26 of the casing 23, and thus to block the center hole 27 and the orifices 28 of the casing 23, and also to block the apertures 19, 20 of the bottom wall 15 of the cover 12, and thus to prevent air from being pumped through the cover 12 and into the container 10.

On the contrary, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, when the piston rod 62 is moved or pulled outwardly relative to the barrel 60, the air in the barrel 60 may be vacuumed and may pull or move the plug 50 and the gasket 30 relative to the housing 40 and the casing 23, and may thus disengage the gasket 30 from the partition 26 of the casing 23, to open the center hole 27 and the orifices 28 of the casing 23, and also to open the apertures 19, 20 of the bottom wall 15 of the cover 12, and thus to allow the air to be pumped from the container 10 out through the cover 12.

The barrel 60 may include ventilating holes formed therein (not shown) for allowing air to flow out of the barrel 60 when the piston rod 62 is moved or forced into the barrel 60, to allow the pressurized air in the barrel 60 to flow out of the barrel 60 via the ventilating holes thereof, in which the ventilating holes of the barrel 60 are typical and will not be described in further details.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, when the cap 11 is disengaged from the container 10, the cover 12 may also be engaged onto the cap 11, and the barrel 60 and the piston rod 62 may also be used to draw air out of the cap 11, and thus to vacuum the cap 11.

As shown in FIGS. 11-18, for vacuuming a bottle-shaped container 10, the vacuum canister assembly 10 further includes a sleeve 70 having an outer peripheral plate 71 extended downwardly from an upper plate 72, for engaging onto the mouth 91 of the container 10 (FIGS. 15, 16), and having an inner peripheral plate 73 extended downwardly from the upper plate 72, for defining a bore 74 therein and for engaging into the mouth 91 of the container 10. It is preferable that the sleeve 70 includes one or more peripheral or annular ribs 75, 76 extended upwardly from the upper plate 72.

The cover 12 may include a cylindrical member 21 extended downwardly therefrom and engaged into the bore 74 of the sleeve 70, and preferably engaged with the inner peripheral plate 73 of the sleeve 70, to make an air tight seal between the cylindrical member 21 of the cover 12 and the inner peripheral plate 73 of the sleeve 70. The bottom wall 15 of the cover 12 may include one or more peripheral or annular slots 80 formed therein (FIG. 14), to receive the peripheral or annular ribs 75, 76 of the sleeve 70, and to allow the cover 12 to be solidly engaged onto the sleeve 70, and to make an air tight seal between the cover 12 and of the sleeve 70.

Accordingly, the vacuum canister assembly in accordance with the present invention includes a solid and effective sealing structure for improving or facilitating vacuuming effect or action of the vacuum canister assembly.

Although this invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is to be understood that the present disclosure has been made by way of example only and that numerous changes in the detailed construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed. 

1. A vacuum canister assembly comprising: a container, a cover including a pad attached to bottom thereof, for engaging onto said container, said cover including a peripheral wall, a bottom wall attached to said peripheral wall, a peripheral fence extended from said bottom wall to form an annular channel between said peripheral wall and said peripheral fence, and at least one aperture formed in said bottom wall, a casing including a lower peripheral panel extended downwardly therefrom, an upper peripheral panel extended downwardly therefrom, a partition disposed between said lower and said upper peripheral panels and having a center hole and at least one orifice formed therein, said lower peripheral panel being engaged into said annular channel of said cover, a gasket including an extension extended downwardly therefrom and slidably engaged through said center hole of said casing, and a bore formed therein, a housing including a lower peripheral flap extended downwardly therefrom for engaging into said casing and for engaging with said upper peripheral panel of said casing, and including a chamber formed in said lower peripheral flap thereof and defined by a lower board, said lower board including a center hole and at least one perforation formed therein, a plug including a plug body slidably engaged in said chamber of said housing, and having a peg extended downwardly therefrom and engaged into said bore of said gasket and attached to said gasket, to allow said gasket and said peg of said plug to be moved in concert with each other, a barrel including a lower portion engaged onto said housing, and a piston rod slidably engaged into said barrel and including a piston attached to bottom, for drawing air when said piston rod is moved along said barrel in a reciprocating action, when said piston rod is moved into said barrel, said plug and said gasket being movable relative to said housing and said casing to force said gasket to engage onto said partition of said casing, and to block said center hole and said at least one orifice of said casing, and to block said at least one aperture of said bottom wall of said cover, and to prevent air from being pumped into said container via said cover, and when said piston rod is pulled outwardly relative to said barrel, said plug and said gasket being drawn and moved relative to said housing and said casing, to disengage said gasket from said partition of said casing, to open said center hole and said at least one orifice of said casing, and also to open said at least one aperture of said bottom wall of said cover, to allow air to be pumped from said container out through said cover.
 2. The vacuum canister assembly as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a cap for engaging onto said container, and said cover being engageable onto said cap for vacuuming said cap.
 3. The vacuum canister assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said plug includes at least one latch extended from said peg thereof, to engage with said gasket, and to secure said gasket to said peg of said plug.
 4. The vacuum canister assembly as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a sleeve having an outer peripheral plate extended downwardly from an upper plate for engaging onto said container, and having an inner peripheral plate extended downwardly from said upper plate, to define a bore therein and to engage into said container, and said cover including a cylindrical member extended downwardly therefrom and engaged into said bore of said sleeve.
 5. The vacuum canister assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein said sleeve includes at least one peripheral rib extended upwardly from said upper plate, said bottom wall of said cover includes at least one peripheral slot formed therein to receive said at least one peripheral rib of said sleeve. 